Field
Apparatuses consistent with the exemplary embodiments relate to an inductor and an electronic device including the same. More particularly, the exemplary embodiments relate to an improved inductor which reduces a height of an inductor core and secures current capacity, and an electronic device including the same.
Description of the Related Art
Recently, rapid development in semiconductor technology enables high density integration and high performance of semiconductors, and accordingly electronic products, such as mobile phones, notebooks and TVs, have largely become slim and light weight.
A display apparatus includes an image display using a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) and an organic light emitting diode (OLED). As the display apparatus relatively becomes slim with an increasing area of the image display, an installation space for the display apparatus may be minimized, for example, by installing the display apparatus on a wall.
To manufacture a slim electronic device, electronic components mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB) to drive the electronic device may need to have a minimized height.
FIGS. 1 to 3 illustrate a core of an inductor mounted on a PCB of an electronic device in the related art.
As shown in FIG. 1, the core 1 of the inductor is a hollow rectangular body including an upper portion 3, a lateral portion 4, a lower portion 5, and a cylindrical central portion 2, in which a coil is wounded around the central portion 2 to generate magnetic flux.
As shown in FIG. 2, in the inductor, the coil 6 is wound around the central portion 2 of the core 1. When an electric current flows into a right side of a coil and out of a left side of the coil, that is, when an electric current flows counterclockwise, as viewed from a top of the core 1, magnetic flux m is formed in the central portion 2 and passes through the central portion 2, the upper portion 3, the lateral portion 4, the lower portion 5 and then back to the central portion 2 as indicated by arrows. A bottleneck phenomenon occurs in an area f where magnetic flux vertically flowing in the central portion 2 curves to the upper portion 3.
The bottleneck phenomenon of the magnetic flux is determined on a cross-sectional area of the core in which the magnetic flux flows. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view, taken along a center of the core 1, in which a cross section a of the central portion 2 and a cross section b of the upper portion 3 are shown as half of their actual sizes.
As shown in FIG. 3, the magnetic flux generated in the central portion 2 passes through the cross section a and then the cross section b of the upper portion 3. Here, the cross section b has an area at least equivalent to or larger than the cross section a so that the bottleneck phenomenon of magnetic flux does not occur in the core 1. Thus, in the core of the related art, the upper portion 3 is formed thick so as to increase the area of the cross section b.
In the thick inductor core, even a portion of the core where the bottleneck phenomenon does not occur is formed thick which causes an unnecessary waste of materials, raising production costs. Also, the inductor has a greater height, making it difficult to apply the inductor to an electronic device that is slim.